Foot-valve extractor for wells.



PATENTED MAY 10, .1904.

APPLIOATIDN FILED nowi. 6, 1903.

N0 MODEL.

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PATENT Orrrcn.

RICHARD TITSWORTH, OF EL PASO, TEXAS, ASSIGNOR. OF ONE-THIRD TO R. J. LOUGHLAN, OF FORT BLISS, TEXAS.

FOOT-VALVE EXTRACTOR FOR WELLS.

srncrrrcnrron forming part of'Letters Patent No. 759,407, dated May 10, 1904.

' Application filed November 5, 1903. Serial No. 179,962. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, RICHARD TITSWORTH, a

citizen of the United States, residing at El Paso, in the county of El Paso and State of Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Foot-Valve Extractors for Wells; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invenally locking the gripping-jaws after the same have been engaged with the valve or strainer to prevent said jaws from becoming disengaged therefrom while extracting the same.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, combination, and arrangement of parts, as Will be more fully described, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation of the tool, showing the parts in position before engagement with the valve. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the same, showing the parts in the position they assume after engagement with the valve. Fig. 3 is a side view of the tool with the parts in the position shown in Fig. 1.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 1 denotes a head, which is preferably in the form of a square bar having an enlarged portion or nut 2, above which is a cylindrical threaded portion 3, by which the tool is connected to the end of an operating-rod. (Not shown.)

The lower end of the head 1 is bifurcated or forked to form spring-arms 4, having formed on their lower ends inwardly-projecting shoulhead or disk 15.

ders or offsets 5, the opposite faces of which are beveled downwardly and outwardly, as at 6, to form gripping-jaws 7, which are adapted to spring into and grasp the bail of a valve or a strainer when dropped into engagement with the same.

Bolted to the sides of the head 1 are inwardly-bent upper endsof downwardly-projecting auxiliary spring arms or bars 8, the lower ends of which are connected to the spring-arms 4immediately above the jaws 7, as shown. v

In order that the jaws 7 may be held or locked into engagement with the hail of the valve or strainer, a clamping ring or band 9 is provided, the interior diameter of which is slightly less than thedistance between the outer faces of the spring-arms 4.

The band 9 is normally supportednear the upper ends of the arms 4 by means of latches 10,theinner ends of which are hinged together by a rule-joint or stop-hinge connection and are also pivoted in the slotted upper end of a head 12. The stophinge or rule joint connection of the ends of said latches prevent the same from opening beyond a horizontal position; as shown in Fig. 1, and in which position they are at right angles to the head 12 and support the ring or band 9. The latches are adapted to pass through slots 4, formed in the arms 4, the lower wall of said slots serving to support said latches, which in turn support the head 12, plungerrod 14, and plunger 15, as well as the ring or band 9, as hereinbefore described.

Light spring-arms 13 are fixed at their upper ends to the head 1 and project downwardly through the ring or band 9 and hold or center the same upon the latches 10, said spring-arms being weak or light enough to permit said ring to drop past or, off the ends of the same when released by the latches 10.

In order that the locking ring or band may be released to drop into engagement with the arms 4 at the proper time, a tripping mech anism is provided consisting of a plunger-rod 14, connected at its upper end with the head 12 and ha'ving on its lower threaded end a The rod '14 is guided and held in position between the arms 4 by means of upper and lower slotted bracket-arms 16 and 17, which are fixed to and project from the opposite inner faces of said arms, as shown.

The rod 1 1 is preferably formed in two parts, the adjacent ends of the same being provided, respectively, with right and left screw-threads, said ends being adapted to be screwed into right and left interiorly-threaded ends of a sleeve or turnbuckle 18. Between the upper bracket-arm 16 and the upper end of the sleeve or turnbuckle 18 is arranged a coiled spring 19, which encircles said rod and tends to force the same downwardly, so that the head 15 will be in position to be engaged by the hail of the valve when the tool is dropped onto the same and after said bail has forced open and been engaged by the jaws 7.

The operation of the device is as follows: Assuming the parts to be in their normal position, as shown in Fig. 1, and the tool connected to the end of an operating-rod the sameis dropped into the well-tube from which it is desired to extract the valve until the jaws 4 come into engagement with the hail of I the head 12 upwardly, which'will cause the latches 10 to drop or swing inwardly in the slots 1 of the arms 1, thus permitting the ring or band 9 to slide off from the same and to drop into engagement with the lower portions of the spring-arms 1, thereby clamping said arms together and preventing the disengagement of the same from the bail of the valve or strainer and permitting the same to be safely removed from the well-tube.

While the auxiliary spring-arms 8 have been shown and described in connection with the tool, it is obvious that the same may be discarded, if desired, without affecting the operation of the device, the arms 8 simply serving as additional strengthening means for the arms 1.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the construction and operation of the invention will be readily understood without requiring a more extended explanation.

Various changes in the form, proportion, and the minor details of construction maybe resorted to without departing from the principle or sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-- 1. A grappling device comprising spring gripping-jaws, a device movable to hold said jaws closed, a detent for engaging and normally holding said device out of action, and a trip device for retracting the detent, substantially as described.

2. Ina tool of the character described, the combination with a head, of spring-arms carried by said head, gripping-jaws carried by said arms to automatically engage a valve or strainer to permit the same to be removed from a well, auxiliary spring-arms carried by said head and engaging said jaw-carrying arms to strengthen the same, means for locking said jaws in engagement with said valve, and means for automatically releasing said locking mechanism to'permit the same to engage and lock said jaws, substantially as described.

3. In a tool of the character described, the combination with a head, of spring-arms carried by said head, gripping-jaws carried by said arms to automatically engage a valve or strainer to permit the same to be removed from a well, a clamping ring or band adapted to drop into engagement with said jaw-carrying arms, whereby the same will be locked together, pivoted latches arranged to support said clamping ring or band out of engagement with said arms, and means for automatically tripping said latches to release said clamping ring or band, substantially as described.

4. In a tool of the character described, the combination with a head, of spring-arms carried by said head, gripping-jaws carried by said arms to automatically engage a valve or strainer to permit the same to be removed from a well, a clamping ring or band adapted to drop into engagement with said jaw-carrying arms, whereby the'same will be locked together, a plunger-rod supported between said arms, a head arranged on the upper end of said rod, latches pivoted to said head, slots formed in said jaw-carrying arms in which said latches are supported to normally hold said clamping-ring out of engagement with said arms, a head or disk carried by the lower end of said rod in position to be automatically engaged to actuate said rod, thereby tripping said latches and releasing said clamping ring or band, substantially as described.

5. In a tool of the character described, the combination with a head, of spring-arms carried by said head, gripping-jaws carried by said armsto automatically engage a valve or strainer to permit the same to be removed from a well, a clamping ring or band adapted to drop into engagement with said jaw-carrying arms, whereby the same will be locked together, anadjustable spring-retracted plunger-rod supported between said arms, a head arranged on the upper end of said rod, latches pivoted to said head, slots formed in said jawcarrying arms in which said latches are supported to normally hold said clamping-ring out of engagement with said arms, a head or disk carried by the lower end of said rod in position to be automatically engaged to actuate said rod, thereby tripping said latches and releasing said clamping ring or band, substantially as described.

6. In a tool of the character described, the combination with a head, of spring-arms carried by said head, gripping-jaws carried by said arms to automatically engage a valve or strainer to permit the same to be removed from a well, a clamping ring or band adapted to drop into engagement with said jaw-carrying arms, whereby the same will be locked together, a plunger-rod supported between said arms, a head arranged on'the upper end of said rod, latches pivoted to said head, means for preventing said latches from swinging upwardly beyond a horizontal position, slots formed in said jaw-carrying arms in which said latches are supported to normally hold said clamping-ring out of engagement with said arms, a head or disk carried by the lower end of said rod in position to be automatically engaged to actuate said rod, thereby tripping said latches and releasing said clamping ring or band, substantially as described.

7. In a tool of the character described, the combination with a head, of spring-arms carried by said head, gripping-jaws carried by said arms to automatically engage a valve or strainer to permit the same to be removed from a well, a clamping ring or band adapted to drop into engagement with said jaw-carrying arms, whereby the same will be locked together, a plunger-rod supported between said arms, a head arranged on the upper end of said rod, latches pivoted to said head, and connected at their innerpivoted ends by a stophinge joint, slots formed in said jaw-carrying arms in which said latches are supported to normally hold said clamping-ring out of engagement with said arms, a head or disk carried by the lower end of said rod in position to be automatically engaged to actuate said rod, thereby tripping said latches and releasing said clamping ring or band, substantially as described.

8. In a tool of the character described, the combination with a supporting element, of spring-actuated jaws carried thereby, a locking element for normally moving the jaws together, a latch mechanism for normally holding the locking element retracted, and a reciprocatory trip device governing said locking mechanism.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

RICHARD TITSWORTH.

Witnesses:

T. H. LOGAN, W. MCLEES. 

